What cool things should I do with my Chromecast?
March 21, 2014 1:36 PM Subscribe
We just got a Chromecast, and I'm interested in finding fun things to do with it. We have two Win7 computers, an Android tablet, and two Android phones. We've used Netflix and YouTube, plus tab sharing. What else would you suggest we try?
Set your desktop to show photos from a folder on your computer on fast rotation, then cast your screen to your TV. Instant home slideshow on the TV.
posted by blue_beetle at 1:47 PM on March 21, 2014
posted by blue_beetle at 1:47 PM on March 21, 2014
There's a lot of apps that have released Chromecast support recently. I noticed that PocketCasts on Android has it now so you can cast your podcasts to your tv. Not sure if it works with video podcasts.
Plex is a video server for your PC that can transcode movies on the fly for playback on your local network. So if you have a big library of video files you can use the plex app on android to kick off playback on your Chromecast. You'll have to install the Plex server on one of your windows boxes. A Plex Pass subscription is no longer required I believe.
Songza is another music streaming app with support now.
There will be plenty more apps supporting Chromecast coming soon I expect.
posted by GuyZero at 1:57 PM on March 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
Plex is a video server for your PC that can transcode movies on the fly for playback on your local network. So if you have a big library of video files you can use the plex app on android to kick off playback on your Chromecast. You'll have to install the Plex server on one of your windows boxes. A Plex Pass subscription is no longer required I believe.
Songza is another music streaming app with support now.
There will be plenty more apps supporting Chromecast coming soon I expect.
posted by GuyZero at 1:57 PM on March 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
Videostream for Chromecast lets you stream video files from your computer.
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/videostream-for-google-ch/cnciopoikihiagdjbjpnocolokfelagl?hl=en-US
posted by tresbizzare at 4:40 PM on March 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/videostream-for-google-ch/cnciopoikihiagdjbjpnocolokfelagl?hl=en-US
posted by tresbizzare at 4:40 PM on March 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
I would be eternally grateful to know if NHL.com videos (the game center live feed preview) can be screen cast from a chrome tab... So that's something you could try....
posted by chasles at 5:28 PM on March 21, 2014
posted by chasles at 5:28 PM on March 21, 2014
Hulu Plus or HBO Go if you subscribe to either.
Dayframe for Android does really nice slideshow of photos.
Tic Tac Toe
Dehumanize Your Friends is like Cards Against Humanity, great for group play.
Search the Play Store for "chromecast" and you'll see a lot of apps that you can browse through - several options for casting local media from tablet or phone to TV, and a few other games as well.
Also the Chrome extension on your PC has experimental full-screen casting - not always so good as a way to cast videos (regular tab casting works better if it's a video format chrome can play natively), but it's excellent if you want several people to view a webpage or a PDF or some other document on your PC instead of everyone crowding around a monitor.
posted by trivia genius at 7:59 PM on March 21, 2014 [2 favorites]
Dayframe for Android does really nice slideshow of photos.
Tic Tac Toe
Dehumanize Your Friends is like Cards Against Humanity, great for group play.
Search the Play Store for "chromecast" and you'll see a lot of apps that you can browse through - several options for casting local media from tablet or phone to TV, and a few other games as well.
Also the Chrome extension on your PC has experimental full-screen casting - not always so good as a way to cast videos (regular tab casting works better if it's a video format chrome can play natively), but it's excellent if you want several people to view a webpage or a PDF or some other document on your PC instead of everyone crowding around a monitor.
posted by trivia genius at 7:59 PM on March 21, 2014 [2 favorites]
BeyondPod for Android can stream podcasts to a Chromecast.
posted by neushoorn at 4:06 AM on March 22, 2014
posted by neushoorn at 4:06 AM on March 22, 2014
3 websites ready for casting:
Immersive Weather
WebGL Globe
Hot searches
posted by Akeem at 7:58 AM on March 24, 2014 [2 favorites]
Immersive Weather
WebGL Globe
Hot searches
posted by Akeem at 7:58 AM on March 24, 2014 [2 favorites]
I only bought Chromecast a few days ago and I'm already thinking of selling my Apple TV for a couple more of them!
If you use Google Music then it works really well with that - I have some good speakers connected up to the TV, I love the fact when I'm ready to play some music I don't even have to change the channel, the chromecast will do that for me. BTW I don't pay for Google Music, I just used it to mirror my 5-6000 tracks in my collection.
posted by razzman at 12:58 PM on March 24, 2014
If you use Google Music then it works really well with that - I have some good speakers connected up to the TV, I love the fact when I'm ready to play some music I don't even have to change the channel, the chromecast will do that for me. BTW I don't pay for Google Music, I just used it to mirror my 5-6000 tracks in my collection.
posted by razzman at 12:58 PM on March 24, 2014
Also CourseraCast will allow you to watch lectures on your TV
posted by razzman at 1:30 PM on March 24, 2014
posted by razzman at 1:30 PM on March 24, 2014
Google Photowall announced today!
http://9to5mac.com/2014/03/24/googles-new-photowall-app-turns-your-chromecast-connected-tv-into-an-interactive-photo-frame/
posted by razzman at 4:19 PM on March 24, 2014
http://9to5mac.com/2014/03/24/googles-new-photowall-app-turns-your-chromecast-connected-tv-into-an-interactive-photo-frame/
posted by razzman at 4:19 PM on March 24, 2014
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posted by Sara C. at 1:42 PM on March 21, 2014